Healing Blade of the Western Lands
by LifeNDeath72
Summary: Sometimes when you close your eyes, you see pieces of a past that does not exactly belong to you. When the blade from those memories manifested, he left his home in fear of the revelation. Now, he travels the Western Lands, living his life as a sell-sword. His hands both used to hurt and to heal. Slight Bleach Xover. Naruto/(Shu/Shoku) Harem.


**The Lost Shinobi**

**Disclaimer: i don't own Naruto, Koihime Musou or Bleach.**

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"_See you in the next life, Mizuki-sensei!"_

A sleeping young man jolted awake at the reminiscence of an old memory. His half-lidded eyes scanning the immediate surroundings and rubbed off the sleep from his previous light nap, both to wake himself properly as well as to let his eyes adjust to the light. After a few seconds, he opened them fully to finally remember where he chose to nap. It was at the side of a nondescript dirt road, lined on both sides by cherry blossoms stretching for who knows how long.

It was always like this for him. Sometimes when he closed his eyes, he saw a glimpse of his past. Most recently, the night he ran away from his old home. But on the other times, he often remembered memories that he knew for a fact did not belong to him. He knew he didn't have long black hair, nor did he ever had a thirst for battle. He didn't know eight thousand styles of swordsmanship, nor did he know the ways of healing. And most importantly, he was never a woman.

His Sexy Jutsu does not count.

Yet it was all too real. Every memory of it was seen through his eyes, it was his hands that cut flesh. It was his hands that healed those cuts. It was his hands that held the sword that delivered those cuts. Every sensation as he cut through someone's arm, drawing blood or chopping them clean off, it was all him. All the while he laughed, felt the ecstasy of the adrenaline rushing through his veins and bathed in the blood of his enemies. It was all him.

It wasn't the thought of killing that made him happy, it was the thrill of battle. Swords clashing against swords or equal exchanges of blood from both sides. It was what made him feel alive.

He thought that it was likely because of these visions that the villagers hated him, that they knew something he didn't. It wasn't like he could tell people about it either. Nobody in their right mind would believe him if he did. Hell, nobody even gave him the time of day, so that was a moot point. Despite their good nature towards him, he knew that even the Ichiraku's and the Old Man would hardly believe him. Not many people take kids seriously unless the truth was winking at them right in the face.

And then came that night.

The night that led to his departure. The night that explained to him why he was hated by the village. The night he fled despite Iruka-sensei's protests. It was a night that explained so much about himself that even the Old Man never told him. As much as he would have wanted to stay, he knew that it was impossible. It wasn't just because he was revealed to be the host of an undoubtedly strong being in this plane of existence. It was also because the very same blade in those memories appeared before him.

And as if in a trance, he used that same blade and bifurcated the Konoha-turned-traitor Ninja Mizuki into two clean halves.

At that age, it was understandable that he would fear that power and what he had done with it. He wasn't exactly hateful of the traitorous teacher, so he only wanted to beat Mizuki into a pulp for hurting the only teacher who actually tried teaching him. Cutting people in half doesn't really make a good impression, especially after both Iruka and himself heard Mizuki shoot his mouth off and tell him that he was the Nine-Tails incarnate. True, he knew that the Nine-Tails and himself were separate entities now that he was older. But he knew he couldn't go back. While he wasn't a registered Ninja and could not be considered a Rogue, he was a Jinchuriki.

A weapon to deter war.

He doubted anything would change even if he came back. The villagers would no doubt continue to glare or worse, ignore him again. Those who were in the know would obviously hate his guts and keep their eyes on him. Kunais at his throat the moment he even shows the slightest signs of battle thirst. And what of his friends? Surely they would be officers or well-respected members in the Ninja system by now, they would have likely heard gossip about him, their prankster friend from the academy was actually the Nine-Tailed Fox that laid waste to the village all those years ago.

And so he fled as far as he could away from Konoha.

Away from Fire Country.

Away from the Elemental Nations.

He didn't spend all his time on the run. There always came a time where news would catch up to him. Thankfully, the important information came during his early years on the road. There were certain people after him, or rather, the thing sealed inside him. Called Akatsuki, according to the whispers that littered the mangy towns spread throughout the lands.

He didn't need to be told twice that he needed to be strong. As much as he wanted to live in relative peace, there was nothing wrong in making a contingency plan should the need arise. Like the Ninja he might have been, he lied, cheated and stole. He lied to the Samurai of Iron Country, used them to learn the ways of the sword. Using his other memories to learn the other Seven-Thousand Nine-Hundred Ninety-Nine sword styles. It helped that he learned quite the peculiar ability prior to his departure, making the training go a lot faster. The perk in particular being available after he used it in his departure from Iron Country.

He cheated the casinos into losing gambles that netted him tons of money, it helped that that blonde, big-tittied sucker seemed to always be around to be a suckered into a bet she had no hope of winning. He stole scrolls on several of the worst aspects about him, chakra control, illusions and healing. The last one being to prolong fights just so his thirst would be sated with an enjoyable battle. He had control of this urge, though. Just like the person in his other memories did. He also took to learning basic storage and explosion seals.

It took a while, but he was finally able to enjoy the relative peace he sought. While it was far from ideal, he reasoned that constantly being on the road would keep him safe. No one could find him easily, he had no residence to be ambushed at, he had no ties that could be used as leverage against him. As much as he craved for the attention of the people in his youth, he found himself not anymore bothered with such a trifling thing.

"All things end." He muttered. It sort of became his motto after a while on his own. It was a tether to the small hope that once the threat of Akatsuki died down, he would finally be able to settle down, find a cute girl to wed, father children, raise them, grow old and die a happy grandfather. Not as grand as say, becoming Hokage, but Ninja affairs hardly mattered to him anymore. He left that land a long time ago.

Catapulting off the grass, he performed some stretches to get rid of the small atrophy from his nap. Idly remembering that it was because he was asleep for two days straight. Time easily passes by to those who have little to no care in the world. Finishing his stretches, he dusted himself off to clear out some stray blades of grass left on his person.

He picked up his things and followed the sound of running water, reaching a small river shortly after. Taking out a scroll from a small sack, he unfurled it and took out a small towel, using the object to wipe his face clean after washing it with water. Sealing it back, he then took out some food he kept in a different scroll to eat a small breakfast before he resumed his travels.

Packing everything up, he gave himself a once over using the river as a mirror. His sun-kissed blonde hair was long, reaching around the base of his neck, his bangs were incredibly messy but arranged to let his cerulean-blue eyes to see through them properly. Lining both sides of his cheeks were three lines each, resembling whiskers, making most bystanders liken him to a cat or better yet, a fox.

In terms of apparel, he didn't wear anything too noticeable. A black crew-neck shirt under a loosely worn, dark red kimono top with a tattered hem that reached his thighs, tied together with a matching black sash with tattered ends. Over that was a white haori of similar length, with sleeves long enough to hide his arms when worn as loosely as possible, it also matched the overall design with a tattered hem and sleeves. For his legs, he wore plain black pants tucked into ankle-length black combat boots.

Strapping and securing the small sack to his waist, he picked up his nodachi and carried it by hand, holding it via the rope that stretched the length of the sheathe. He returned shortly to the road and headed in the direction he last remembered he was moving towards. Unlike the Elemental Nations, he didn't need to worry about Ninja patrols or Rogue-Ninjas. In this land there were mostly fellow travelers, merchant caravans, bandits and the bandit hunters. Most of them tend to mind their own business, barring the second to last group.

It seems that anywhere in this day and age, roads are always littered with bandits. For him, it hardly mattered what their purpose for resorting to thievery was. What irked him about bandits was their suicidal overconfidence, thinking they have the advantage just because they had superior numbers. It made one Naruto Uzumaki roll his eyes whenever he encountered them. To him, they were just absolutely weak and not even able to put up a decent fight, even when he purposefully limited himself to give them a fighting chance.

Case in point.

As expected, he would have encountered a group of bandits sooner or later. They were practically everywhere. They left their hiding spot from the trees as Naruto reached the center of the clearing, he simply tuned them out on whatever it was they were saying. It was always the same when it comes to them. 'Give us your valuables if you don't wanna get hurt!' that was mostly the main idea when bandits decide to show their idiocy.

Of course he was a lot more lenient with this particular bandit gang. They were probably the most unsuccessful and incompetent of the ones that plagued the Western Lands, and were therefore not much of a threat. Of course, their lack of fortune just so happens to coincide with the fact that the person who keeps taking them down happens to be the very same person they were attempting to rob today.

Bandits must have bad memory.

Naruto did a few leg stretches as he decided to just stop the bandits right here. They were talking about how this place was their territory and he had to pay them. It was all the same unimaginative crap he has to deal with, so he didn't bother listening. With a speed that was too fast to see, he kicked the bandits together in a neat pile and punted them away, leaving a twinkle in the sky.

"Dear, dear. It's like an infestation..." Naruto said neutrally as he headed on his merry way. There was plenty of daylight left according to the sun's position, so he had the pleasure of walking at his own pace to the next town.

It took only an hour or so until he had to deviate from his path, the road shifting to a mountain side cliff path. Winding and turning as it traversed the small mountain, he came across a small roadside shop. Deciding to take a break, he took a seat facing outwards and ordered some tea and dango for his snack.

It only took a few minutes for his food to arrive. Taking a bite from the stick as he let his thoughts drift aimlessly, chowing down on his food every now and then as his gaze stared at the sea of green. He heard the sound of brandished steel and nearly drew his blade in alarm before seeing it was from a black-haired man admiring a pink-haired girl's sword. Minding his own business, Naruto ordered another plate of dango and a refill of his tea, watching the same girl leave after his second snack arrived. He noticed the black-haired man leave as he ate his food, he would have assumed that he was also just a normal traveler headed in the same direction, but the way the man ran off made it look like his aim was to catch up to the girl.

Naruto finished up and payed the bill for his meal, fishing out the needed coins from a pouch. Thanking the owner, he followed after the suspicious man at a distance. The cliff-side path wasn't too narrow, so he was able to focus his sight on the man instead of his steps.

Sure enough, the man caught up with the girl, asking to see the sword again. He then asked for her full name, revealing it to be Ryuubi Gentoku. There was another exchange after that before it took a turn for the worse. The man said he would take her sword and name before kicking her off the side of the cliff, making her fall to the river below.

Naruto sprung into action, strapping his nodachi to his back. He would have taken down the fleeing man, if the girl's safety wasn't a priority. Using the tree-walking ability he learned from a stolen scroll, he ran down the mountain side and searched for Ryuubi. Finding her hanging by her shirt that was caught by a branch, he didn't waste any time for pleasantries and grabbed her by the shirt caught by the branch, swinging her body and carrying her in his arms. He saw that she closed her eyes in fear of falling in the river, cracking them open when she didn't feel herself get wet.

"Don't worry, you're safe now." Naruto reassured with a kind smile as he ran back up the side, he felt her grip his top as they returned to the spot where she was kicked off. He let her feet touch down on the ground, but she didn't seem to let go of him and felt her shake uncontrollably. "Hey, come on... Um... You can let go now."

He heard her mumble her thanks repeatedly as she buried her face in his shirt. Naruto sighed and let her calm down first, his shirt growing slightly wet from her tears of relief. Had that branch not caught her she would have made impact with the ground underneath the water, killing her before her body is swept away by the flow of the river. Unsure of what to do, he stood there and rubbed her back soothingly to help calm her down.

"Feeling better?" He asked when he saw her finally pull away.

"H-Hai... um... Thank you. Thank you so much for saving me!" She exclaimed with a bow, wiping away the remnants of stray tears on her face.

"Eh? Ah, don't mention it." Naruto said. The girl looked at him intensely for a few seconds and then adopted a look of realization as she matched his face.

"Ah, you were one of the customers at that shop!"

"Yeah, I was. I thought the guy looked fishy when he chased after you..." Naruto explained. "I would have gotten your sword back, but I needed to make sure you were safe first."

Ryuubi felt her cheeks heat up at the last part. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, but still sported a light blush as she addressed him again. "Um... May I ask what your name is?"

Naruto nodded and cleared his throat as he introduced himself. "My name Is Naruto Uzumaki. Freelance Swordsman and Healer. Nice to meet you, Ryuubi-san." Seeing her questioning look, he elaborated on the subject that was obviously playing in her mind. "I overheard that guy call you by that name. I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"No, it's fine. Well, my name is Ryuubi, my courtesy name is Gentoku. Nice to meet you too, Naruto-san." She returned with a smile that Naruto reciprocated. The blonde told her to just call him by his name without honorifics since he wasn't one for formalities. Ryuubi looked a little uncertain and tried to reason with him that he should be addressed properly, but Naruto was persistent that she call him as he preferred or if she insisted, could use the '-kun' suffix instead. _"Naruto-kun..."_ Ryuubi committed the name to memory, a light blush making its way to her face again before she spoke up for a request. "Um... This may seem sudden, but would you mind escorting me to my home? I fear that without my sword, I would barely be able to put up a fight in case bandits attack."

Naruto gave her an affirmative, making her thank him repeatedly again. She asked what the price for his services was, but he insisted on doing this for free. Reasoning that money was barely an issue for him, and said it was only the right thing to do to help someone in need. Ryuubi couldn't help but smile at his good nature, thinking that he was definitely a rare person to find in these troubled times.

Naruto unstrapped his nodachi off his back and held the rope with his off-hand again. The sword was best held in this position due to its length. Drawing it from a strapped position like the back, hip or back-waist would take too much time and his arm length prevented him from drawing it fully unless he held the sheathe from his hand. Turning to Ryuubi, he motioned for her to go. "Lead the way, Ryuubi-san."

Ryuubi smiled as she and her bodyguard walked the cliff side path. She slowed down slightly to make sure she was walking only a little bit ahead, wanting to stay as close to him as possible. "Um... Naruto-kun?" Naruto gave a grunt to indicate that he was listening to her. Ryuubi fidgeted a little since this was the first time she was talking to a boy around her age. The most interactions she had with males were little kids, elders or clients for their family's business. "You said you were also a Healer. You don't look like one..."

"Yeah. But then again, I barely use it other than when I fight."

That piqued Ryuubi's curiosity, knowing that it was near impossible to apply first aid in the midst of combat. "How can you heal during battle? Wouldn't the preparations for that take time?" She gave a voice to her inner question.

"Not if you're someone from the Eastern Lands." Naruto answered. Ryuubi looked surprised and her curiosity got the better of her, asking if he could share a story of his travels there. Naruto decided to entertain her for a while, and told her a story about his early years wandering. Being traveling companions, it was only normal for them to talk about themselves.

Ryuubi learned that Naruto was from a village in the dead center of their land, and was actually going to be a soldier for the place. Having fled in his youth due to the fear that his blood lust may overtake his rationality. Naruto explained to her that his desire for fighting was the initial reason that he learned the healing arts, giving her a demonstration of the basic Healing Jutsu when he gave himself a cut. He followed it up by telling her that his urge was definitely under control now that he was older.

While he didn't lay his soul bare to Ryuubi, he did tell her about his little dream. The pink-haired girl found it quite endearing that he only wishes for a simple life. "Then how come you aren't settling down yet, Naruto-kun?"

"Who knows?" Naruto shrugged. "Maybe I just haven't met the right one. Or maybe I already did and was just waiting for the right time to ask her out." He finished, giving Ryuubi a wink that definitely made her stammer at the implications. Naruto chuckled as Ryuubi fought down her mad blush, pouting at him for teasing her. "Ahaha, my bad Ryuubi-san. I couldn't resist."

"Touka."

"Hm? Did you say something?" Naruto asked in genuine curiosity.

"I said Touka. My real name is Touka." She said with a light smack to his arm. Naruto processed her words and realized he just gained permission to call her by her real name. It was kinda weird here in the Western Lands when it came to this thing, so Naruto just went by his own name. It kind of helped that his sword was also the one who taught him the value of a name. "It makes sense now... the way you introduced yourself, I mean. That was the way people from the East introduced themselves..."

"Yeah. Since I shared something about myself, why not return the gesture, Touka-chan?"

Touka nodded and shared a bit about her story. She was actually a descendant of a distinguished family, evidenced by being the bearer of the stolen sword. While they were, by proxy, part of the imperial family, they lived a pretty humble life weaving straw mats and sandals. Touka lived only with her mother, having lost her father when she was still young. And just like Naruto, Touka shared her dream of wanting peace for their land.

"I can understand that... but you do know that even with a peaceful world, there will always be small seeds of dissent, right?" Naruto questioned as Touka looked uncertain. He wasn't overly optimistic that all conflict would cease from spawning, but he also wasn't disillusioned enough to think that peace is a lie. It was for Touka's own good that she know about this if she wishes to unite the land. He can see that she could become a great ruler in the future, but she needed to know that the world lives on balance and that one thing can't exist without the other.

Touka understood what Naruto was getting at. It was in the very basis of their teachings that things are best kept in balance. She stopped in her tracks, but felt Naruto giving her a pat on the head, apologizing that he was kind of jumping the gun with her. Touka leaned in to the gesture, feeling the same sense of warmth and safety she felt earlier when he saved her.

The pink-haired girl was about to speak up, but a cat-call from a traveling caravan made them turn away from each other, both sporting a blush with Touka looking embarrassed and Naruto trying to regain some of his cool demeanor. "Anyways, we should get going. Unless your fine with camping outside?"

"No, I don't mind... but I would like to finally sleep in a bed again." Touka replied. Naruto then motioned for her to join him in continuing their journey. Touka now walking next to him as they made more small talk, learning about each other and trying to avoid complicated or sensitive topics. Whenever the two went quiet, they would steal glances at each other every few minutes until someone broke the silence.

It took a few hours, but they finally made it to a city without any other problems arising. Walking to a nearby map, Naruto found that they were apparently now in the capital city of the Kei Province. Entering the city prior, Naruto held Touka's hand as he led her through the city in search for the inn, not wanting her to get lost in the bustling streets or whisked away by some of the more unsavory characters that lives in the shadows of the city. So focused was he in his search that he did not realize he would bump into someone until he actually did.

"Naruto-kun! Are you alright?" Touka exclaimed in concern as she checked him over.

"I'm fine, Touka-chan. More importantly..." Naruto assured, turning to the person he bumped into. "Sorry about... that...?" Naruto looked perplexed as he saw that what he actually collided with was the side of a horse. Picking himself up off the ground, he tilted his head up to see the rider, finding a blonde girl who wore her hair into twin drill-like ringlets, that emanated an aura of superiority that came off her like running water. Her blue eyes looking down from her perch with contempt aimed at him.

"A young couple lost in the streets of Enshou's land... why am I not surprised?" The girl said looking at their clasped hands, then staring at Touka with a scrutinizing gaze as if she were naked, then doing the same to Naruto but with a little more of her 'I am better than you' look, then finally to the sword in his hand. "Hmph. Apology accepted, though I suggest you watch where you are going next time."

"Ahaha, actually we are travelers and were looking for the inn. Really sorry about bumping into you." Naruto said, looking a little sheepish. He was used to dealing with stuck-up nobles, being a sell-sword means most people who know about you look down on you due to their reputation for easily being swayed by a few pouches of extra coin.

"Duly noted. There is one in that direction." The rider said, a little sarcastically at the beginning since she didn't really care about who they were. She followed up her words by pointing towards the north side of the city. "Either that or you can choose the one to the west of here."

"You sure know a lot about this place... Thanks anyways, Ojou-san! Let's get going, Touka-chan!" Naruto said, as Touka gave a formal bow of gratitude towards the blonde rider before she and Naruto went on their way. The blonde rider just stared at them as they left, sighing tiredly as she headed off to a different direction. Her mind subconsciously filing away the names Naruto and Touka in case she ever heard from them again.

"Umm... Naruto-kun?" Touka began, gaining Naruto's attention as they casually browsed the shops that sprawled the streets. "Earlier... you didn't refute her when she... um... said we were a c-couple..."

"Meh, why not? I definitely wouldn't mind having a girlfriend like you..." Naruto shrugged, seeing no problem with it. Touka was definitely a fresh change from his usual dose of pink-haired girls, that's for sure. Said pink-haired girl was blushing again, this time at the thought of what the blonde rider assumed she and Naruto was. Shaking her head to return to the real world, Touka found herself already standing off to the side of the front desk of an inn, Naruto already talking to the innkeeper for available rooms.

"Any luck?" Touka asked once Naruto walked back to her.

"Yeah, but here's the thing. The manager said that due to Enshou-san's tournament tomorrow, they're almost fully booked. There's only one room left."

"It should be fine, right?" Touka asked again. Most, if not all inn rooms contained two beds. They could simply ask for a divider to keep their privacy.

"Yeah... about that. The only room available is the one with a single large bed... catch my drift?" Touka's eyes widened and looked away to hide her blush. Inwardly cursing at the unfortunate turn of events that seems to like messing with them. Peeking out the corner of her eye, she saw that Naruto himself looked a little embarrassed at the thought, sporting a light blush but also keeping his cool act up. Knowing he'll be the gentleman he is, Touka reluctantly agreed to the terms, not that she can refuse after Naruto asked if the other inns were in a similar situation with the manager confirming that it was most likely.

After paying the fee, the manager lead them to their room, elbowing Naruto lightly and calling him a lucky bastard before sauntering off to resume his duties. Naruto glaring at the manager's retreating form for both the jab and the implications. The bodyguard and his VIP looked at the incredibly spacious room, glaring at the single bed that was big enough for three people of proper size to fit in. "I guess I can take the windowsill for this... the moon is kinda drawing to full anyways... plus, I think I'll need a drink."

Naruto said before leaving his small sack and his nodachi in the room with Touka. The girl sat on the bed after placing her backpack down. Her thoughts drifting to the visage of her handsome blonde bodyguard. The more she thought about him, the more she found herself liking having him around. _"Maybe after this, I can ask him to help me get my sword back."_ She mused about contracting him for another job, wanting to spend more time with him.

She headed off to the built-in bathroom for the special room. It seemed like Naruto won't be back for a while, so Touka decided to just take a bath and go to sleep after. The built-up tiredness from the day's events slowly catching up to her.

That night was just one of many nights where she dreams of blue-eyed blonde or pinkette children.

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**Authors Notes**

We've seen many a Bleach Xover with Naruto either becoming Aizen or another member of the Gotei 13 like Yama-jii, Gin or himself, but how about after Unohana died she was reincarnated as Naruto? Just because he was reincarnated, doesn't mean he had to stay a woman. Yes, that nodachi is indeed Minazuki. Though it will mostly be used for swordplay rather than Shikai.

But again, I didn't want to do a solo Bleach fic, knowing I'd just milk Naruto canon to accompany the idea. So I double-X'd it with another series since there aren't many Naruto/Koihime Musou fics. That whole closing eyes to see another life's past thing does happen sometimes, though I guess that could just be the imagination wreaking havoc as the body is in rest, I don't know all that complicated stuff.

Shin/Koihime Musou doesn't exactly have a developed wiki nor is the character entries in TvTropes, so forgive me if there were some Out-of-Character moments. This fic will also somewhat follow the anime (though Aisha is still having her journey in the background), since I have no access to the VN. I also did not describe Touka since I'm waiting to do it when she's in her main outfit.

Naruto's personality is a mix of his own, and both sides of Unohana. His outfit is based on Juzo from Shinkenger minus the necklace and beard. His hair is arranged the same as Ichigo's sexy-ass Dangai hair. Yes, I totally made him Galactic Punt those recurring bandits.

I try to take as Neutral a stance as I can get with Konoha for all my fics. So there won't be any bashing, probably call someone out on being an idiot, but no bashing (which is the unnecessarily repeated form of calling someone out on idiocy).

This is most likely a harem with the Shu/Shoku faction comprising of Touka, Aisha, Sei and Sui. A maybe for Shion/Kouchuu, Karin/Sousou, Enya, Kikyo and Sheren. Though I'll probably stop at two, leaning on Shion and Karin. There will absolutely be NO Naruto-verse girls at all. When I make a Xover, I make it a mission to have him paired with a girl from the Xover and the only things I exempt from this rule are Fem!Kyubi, Fem!Sasuke/Itachi, Kushina and Naruko/Sister (since I'm a sick fuck like that).

The reason I don't exempt Hinata or Sakura is because one of the majorities of over half a quarter-million vanilla Naruto fics already have those covered.

For those expecting Ch9 of 'His Time and Eternity', well... the way I see it, there are two types of writer's block: one being unable to write in general, the other is when an idea won't leave your head until you wrote/typed it out. In this case with my double release of two new stories, it's the latter. So sorry for those who were expecting that first, but things often get troublesome inside my crazy head like this crazy idea.

That's all, bye!


End file.
